There’s a wonderfully absurd sense of humor behind the two shows that introduce audiences to the lively new second-year class of the FSU/Asolo Conservatory in a double bill of comedies that joke about nearly every aspect of the theater.
Mike Perez, left, and Scott Kuiper get tripped up by "Hamlet" in Christopher Durang's "The Actor's Nightmare" at the FSU/Asolo Conservatory. FRANK ATURA PHOTO
In the opener, Christopher Durang’s often hilarious “The Actor’s Nightmare,” Scott Kuiper plays an accountant who suddenly finds himself standing on a theater stage with 15 minutes before he’s set to “go on” in place of the ill leading man. “Go on?” he asks. For what, where, why? He’s not an actor.
But Kuiper appears to be a good one, drawing the audience into this man’s dilemma. George is not even sure what play he’s doing, so he keeps finding himself caught up in scenes from “Private Lives,” “Hamlet” and “Waiting for Lefty” and trying to figure out how to respond — at one point he delivers a string of famous Shakespeare lines in hopes of saving himself. His game co-stars seem oblivious to his predicament, which only makes us root more for him.
Exploring comedy in absurd styles
Kuiper is nicely paired with Jillian Courtney, who has a brittle edge as an over-the-top Amanda in “Private Lives” and an exasperated Gertrude in “Hamlet.” (She later plays a tightly wound maid in the second piece, Tom Stoppard’s “The Real Inspector Hound.")
Kelly Elizabeth Smith, left, and Scott Kuiper in the FSU/Asolo Conservatory's production of "The Actor's Nightmare." Photo by Frank Atura.
Kuiper also tangles with Kelly Elizabeth Smith as his unsuspecting, stage-direction-reading co-star in moments from “Lefty" and Mike Perez who provides him no leniency in the "Hamlet" sequence.
It’s a zany warm-up to the even greater absurdity of “Hound,” about a pair of theater critics reviewing a tepid “Mousetrap"-like British murder mystery, who get more drawn into the story than usual.
They spend most of their time discussing their personal issues in the middle of the performance from their seats on the side of the stage.
Brett Mack as the bookish Moon is the second-string critic at his paper and worried about the perceived pecking order. Brandon Maldonado plays the cocky Birdboot, who defends himself against accusations that he’s fooling around with the actresses in the play being performed.
Meanwhile, the rest of the cast performs the murder mystery about a killer on the loose and jilted lovers, and the two critics find themselves becoming part of the plot.
Brett Mack, left, and BrandMaldonado play theater critics in "The Real Inspector Hound" at the FSU/Asolo Conservatory. FRANK ATURA PHOTO/PROVIDED BY ASOLO CONSERVATORY
There are some fun performances by Smith and Jessie Taylor as two women fighting for the attention of the same suitor, played by Rob Glauz as a suave but understandably nervous young man. Jacob Sherburne plays another suitor whose wheelchair is the least of his impediments to happiness. Michael Fisher displays some flourish as the inspector.
It’s all staged by conservatory director Greg Leaming with an eye and ear toward smarts and laughs, which come in frequent waves and different styles in the two pieces. “Hound” is the more stylized and subtle of the two, but the actors in “Nightmare” make the most of playing off our familiarity with famous lines.
From left, Jessie Taylor, Kelly Elizabeth Smith and Jillian Courtney in the FSU/Asolo Conservatory's production of "The Real Inspector Hound." Photo by Frank Atura.
Chris McVicker’s sets and Becki Leigh’s costumes likewise suggest moments from famous plays of the past that trigger laughs on their own.
This double bill is a delightful way to start a new season for the conservatory.
THEATER REVIEW
"The Actor's Nightmare" by Christopher Durang, "The Real Inspector Hound" by Tom Stoppard. Directed by Greg Leaming. Reviewed Nov. 4, FSU/Asolo Conservatory, Cook Theatre, FSU Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. Through Nov. 22. Tickets are $28-$29. For more information; 351-8000; asolorep.org
